Having safely returned from training camp in Slovenia, attention for Dino Maamria and his squad now turns to the regular grind of pre-season friendlies...
Speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s friendly at St Albans, the Manager has confirmed that his full squad will be out on show.
“Pre-Season is about doing a lot of things really. Keeping them fit is key so we are going to give them 45 minutes each minimum. That is the main thing tomorrow (later today), to try and get 45 minutes of football under their belts.
“Obviously we have been doing organisational stuff as well hopefully we will go there to get a win and a clean sheet as well, because we have got to start that straight away.
“We are not focused on just the one game; the focus is on the whole season.”
The manager has made it clear that whilst fitness is the most important aspect of pre-season, it is not the only thing that matters to Dino and his team.
“I always look at results. I want to win everything - as we all do - but winning is a process and we have got to do certain things right in order to win.
“I can’t just talk about winning because you have got to do certain things consistently right to win football matches. That process started already in the past ten days and we start tomorrow (later today) with competitive games.
“We always keep talking about the different compartments to the team - with the ball, without the ball, set-plays and our physical attributes.
When asked about Saturday’s first home friendly against Portsmouth, although excited, Maamria says his full focus is on tonight’s game and delivering a good performance for the fans.
“I think it will be good for our fans to see we have got fair few new players. I think it will be brilliant for them to see our new players and I am sure we will put on a show for them.
First things first though I am looking to St Albans and I am sure our fans will follow us there. It is not too far, it is just down the road and hopefully we will see them in their numbers.”
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